Tinder, Love and Care

9. Introdutions

A/N: I was feeling inspired, so here's a long chapter!

"I think I misheard you, did you say your mom's house?" I exclaimed, my body fully turned toward his in the passenger seat.

Justice chuckled and nodded. "I don't think I stuttered, Cinthe."

"You want me... to meet your mom?"

What did that mean? Did it mean what I thought it did? Or does he take a lot of people to see his mom?

Why the fuck was this so confusing?

"I don't see how else you're gonna eat dinner there." He joked, clearly not noticing the gravity of the situation.

Or maybe he did. There was a weird anxiousness to him that usually wasn't there.

It was in the way he gripped the wheel and how he kept watching me from the corners of his eyes to check for my reactions.

Justice was nervous, and I was willing to bet he was practically shitting his pants.

"You bamboozled me." I accused.

Even though I was full on smiling in my head, it couldn't hurt to fuck with him just a little bit. I mean a heads-up at the very least would've been nice before he thrusted his mom on me.

I would've preferred to have a full blown anxious meltdown before I eventually decided the food was worth it.

"Cinthe, it wasn't like that. If you wanna go back home..." His worry was evident in his words, but I couldn't contain my smile. "You're fucking with me." Justice realized, his shoulders slumping at the realization.

"Yup."

"You're lucky you're cute."

He just called me cute! I would've preferred "fine as fuck" or "sinfully edible", but cute was a start. Cute I can work with.

"And you're lucky I'm craving a home-cooked meal."

🦋

Justice's mom lived about an hour away from my apartment, and we'd spent the drive joking around and catching up.

He'd gone radio silent this week because his grandma was recently in the hospital, but she was fine now. Hence, the current visit.

But he'd also used the time to tell me childhood stories about his older sister and younger brother that would be there as well. Family dinners seemed to be just as important to his family as it was for mine, and that satisfied some secret checklist I didn't even know I had.

"We're here." Justice announced as we pulled up to a brick, suburban home.

It fit the very definition of a middle class neighborhood, and nostalgia hit me hard since it reminded me of my own home. Except my childhood house had an inviting blue door while this one had a deep brown one with stained glass in the oval center.

A mocha woman yanked the door open as Justice was helping me out the car, and she practically ran over to engulf him in a hug.

"You're home!" She was all smiles as she patted him over. "You look skinnier since the last time I saw you."

"You just saw me this week, Heaven." Justice muttered in that annoyed tone that was reserved exclusively for siblings.

"I know, I'm just preparing you for what Mama April will say." She shrugged and turned to me in interest. "You must be Hyacinthe!" Her arms wrapped around me eagerly, and I looked at Justice with shocked eyes as I tentatively hugged her back.